Hard Lessons Learned: Vintage Days 2013.

[NQ1965]

Well It's probably only smart that I try and learn from my mistakes each year and maybe I can benefit from it and some of yours as well.
So, here we go again with this years.

Fortunately I only had two mechanical issues worth talking on.

In Sundays first race, 30+B/C moto 1, I had a hard, high speed corner, high side crash while racing an opponent to the corner near the spectators observation mound. We made contact, I went down, he didn't. I ended up with a broken clutch perch. Had to finish the race with no clutch. (crash was on lap 3).
I had to scramble in the pits to find another perch. I had spare levers, just no perch. Thanks to another racer, 4 pit spaces up from us, he sold me and fixed me up with a brand new unit that was better than what I had. It was a flurry of activity as I had another moto coming up quickly.

*********
###I also found that I had a front wheel spoke hanging out. The nipple head snapped off and pulled right out of the rim. Snipped and removed. Not sure if this was a crash result or from the spoke tweeking I did on Thursday during race prep.###

UPDATE:
After closer review of the video, it's very clear that my front wheel got into the foot peg of the other bike as we banged together going into the turn. One bent, and one broken spoke later, I should of just backed off and planned a better pass.
*********
So here is my list:
•I should always try and keep spare bars, and all handlebar controls/parts on hand.

•BOOTS: Sunday morning I had to slip into boots that were still wet from Saturday. I spent two full days wearing wet boots. A dry back-up pair would have been great.

•GOGGLES: I’ve gotten by for too long without tear-off goggles, and desperately needed them both days. In past races I could often make a quick glove swipe and it was all clear. No-Way on Saturday. Half way through first lap I was wearing them on my arm. And then after taking face full of mud roosts, on several occasions my contact lens’s became so dirty I was riding blind again.

•BIKE PREP: Need to really learn how to prep my bikes for mud races. It’s gonna happen.

•TIME MANAGEMENT: Need to find a better way to manage our weekend time, as we had almost no time outside of the MX track and missed all other weekend activities, and did not get to hook up with enough people that we wanted to see and spend time hanging out with.

* Oh, and let's not forget this: You spend hours before a race doing work on the bike, assuring I've fixed or serviced everything, and yet it only takes 5 minutes before the gate drops, to find every damn thing I missed?

And again, I'll update more as I think back on it more.

 

[Vet261]

In Sundays first race, 30+B/C moto 1, I had a hard, high speed corner, high side crash while racing an opponent to the corner near the spectators observation mound. We made contact, I went down, he didn't.

I watched that happen since I had skipped +30 for Mid Ohio! Was glad to see you jump up right away.

Wet boots are no fun, I've had that experience and since then always kept two pairs of boots on hand.

 

[Dano762]

Those are good lessions to remember although after Bowling Green, KY and Casey, IL I am thinking most vintage races are mud races. And then there was the race last weekend - looked fun but muddy.


My "hard" lesson learned was don't go to a motocross camp with a bunch of 17-18 year olds on a modern track with modern jumps 2 weeks before VMD to try and get faster to race with you guys. That equation equaled jumping more than was smart - well at least landing badly. I didn't even get to VMD; was instead getting MRI confirmation that my ACL is completely torn. So now surgery, recovery, and will go again next year. At least I have a couple of good photos of my short big jump career.

Sounds like you had fun and am glad you didn't get hurt in your crash. Thanks to you and all the others on this forum I met at the 4 races I made this year - a great group and I'll certainly see you again.

I'll send an update but plan is for ACL reconstruction in September, rehab, and then hopefully back at the track within 9 months. That depends on how fast a 50 year old knee heals.

See ya.


Dan

 

[NQ1965]

Awwwww... That sucks! Worse than you were hoping.
And to miss Vintage Days, "The Big Show", after you raced the other series events is the biggest loss.

Did anybody get any pic's from the other events?

 

[mooch]

I keep learning the same lesson over and over again when it rains...I suck at mud riding!

Good luck with your knee Dano762...do you know what graft is being used to do the repair?

Back about 5 years ago when I was 50, had my ACL repaired with a piece of my hamstring and I was riding again in 6 months. Currently having other issues with my knees but nothing to do with the ACL repair which has held up great.

 

[NQ1965]

I watched that happen since I had skipped +30 for Mid Ohio! Was glad to see you jump up right away.

Raises another topic that bothered me a little. Becoming a better racer often means riding more aggressive and pushing past your norm. It hit me, what if he had wrecked instead of me, all because I wouldn't back off, and it surfaces later that he isn't even in my class? He clearly was in the lead, and it was my intention to change that.

Being able to recognize who your real competition is would help sometimes?
Accidents, mishaps and goofs happen, but banging bars with a racer you should be giving a little room and courtesy to is more sportsmanlike. Most of all, I don't want to be taken out by someone from another class.

Any thoughts on this?

Sorry Mooch and Dano', didn't mean to shift gears on ya. Please continue on the knee question, I'm interested in hearing more as well.

 

[Jim598]

Dano762, I wondered where you were. sorry to hear that.
well after going to vintage days for years I finally raced mid-ohio. the harescramble anyway. thought about racing the motocross. but I decided to pit for my son Ryan. good thing too! first thing in practice Ryan got a rear flat on the 96 cr250, so I had to hustle around to fix that. then in the first moto Ryan broke his brake pedal bolt. luckily Ray Dunaway had one. (it is amazing what Ray has). Ryan won on the 96 and won the championship in a extremely tight battle with Al Doneth. the two of them passed each other 14 times throughout the series. Ryan won the series on the third tie breaker. He also raced the yz 490 (the first time he had ever riden it other than by our campsite) he won the evo3 open A on it. it has some real suspension issues but I have a ohlins shock to put on it. I think we will have Ray do the suspension on the 490... Ray did a great job revalving our 96 cr...already making plans for next year.

 

[Dano762]

Thanks for the concern. I won't know until next Monday if they will use a graft from me or a donor. I asked the doctor if kangaroo or cheetah was an option. He said grow up and stay off the bike. I told him staying on the bike was the problem and not the inverse.

No worries on the changing topic. I kinda hijacked the thread to whine about my knee a bit.

Sounds like Ryan had a great race and weekend, would have enjoyed watching it.

 

[k01]

Raises another topic that bothered me a little. Becoming a better racer often means riding more aggressive and pushing past your norm. It hit me, what if he had wrecked instead of me, all because I wouldn't back off, and it surfaces later that he isn't even in my class? He clearly was in the lead, and it was my intention to change that.

Being able to recognize who your real competition is would help sometimes?
Accidents, mishaps and goofs happen, but banging bars with a racer you should be giving a little room and courtesy to is more sportsmanlike. Most of all, I don't want to be taken out by someone from another class.

Any thoughts on this?

Remember (just saving you from another hard lesson), if I'm ever ahead of you in a race, don't pass me because I'm old and feeble. It won't make you faster and you'll feel real bad if I get all confused and fall over or something...

 

[Vet261]

Raises another topic that bothered me a little. Becoming a better racer often means riding more aggressive and pushing past your norm. It hit me, what if he had wrecked instead of me, all because I wouldn't back off, and it surfaces later that he isn't even in my class? He clearly was in the lead, and it was my intention to change that.

Being able to recognize who your real competition is would help sometimes?
Accidents, mishaps and goofs happen, but banging bars with a racer you should be giving a little room and courtesy to is more sportsmanlike. Most of all, I don't want to be taken out by someone from another class.

Any thoughts on this?

My feeling has always been that I want to be the first one to take the checkers regardless of who's in what class and we are all out there racing, so let's race! But, there are always exceptions given different situations.

 

[NQ1965]

I asked the doctor if kangaroo or cheetah was an option. He said grow up and stay off the bike.

That's funny. They don't understand do they?

 

[yz360b]

Raises another topic that bothered me a little. Becoming a better racer often means riding more aggressive and pushing past your norm. It hit me, what if he had wrecked instead of me, all because I wouldn't back off, and it surfaces later that he isn't even in my class? He clearly was in the lead, and it was my intention to change that.

Being able to recognize who your real competition is would help sometimes?
Accidents, mishaps and goofs happen, but banging bars with a racer you should be giving a little room and courtesy to is more sportsmanlike. Most of all, I don't want to be taken out by someone from another class.

Any thoughts on this?

Sorry Mooch and Dano', didn't mean to shift gears on ya. Please continue on the knee question, I'm interested in hearing more as well.

Race as if those in front are in your class, If you are faster you will pass if not you won't. As Pit said we are all racing to the finish and I hope that you or anyone wants to be first regardless.

 

[BILL88L]

DANO762 - I think you and your family pitted by me at Balance. On the knee I unfortunately can speak from experience! I blew my ACL 4 years ago skiing. My DR actually told me to tell him what type of construction I wanted - cadaver, patella, or hamstring. Told me to research, etc as there are positives and negatives to each. I did and what I came up with was cadaver might be strongest but not worth the chance of rejection at my age, patella is probably the most painful for future, and hamstring is the up and comer and good for someone my age(I was 44 at the time). I also have a friend who is an orthopedic surgeon and he told me he has done nothing but for 5 plus years and it is now the "gold" standard. Apparently we all have more hamstring than we need. When I told the doctor he said "that is what I hoped you'd say" I had it done and I can tell you it is as strong as it was before and it was absolutely the right call for me-I can ski just as hard as I ever did and I have been doing that for almost 40 years. I would make sure you do some research and make sure you agree with the doctors choice-I believe some prefer to do what they are good at. Also - rehab your butt off and take your time. Finally - when your ready to go the Asterisk Cyto is hard to beat. Good luck!

 

[mooch]

Race as if those in front are in your class, If you are faster you will pass if not you won't. As Pit said we are all racing to the finish and I hope that you or anyone wants to be first regardless.

I believe there still needs to be some common sense when combining classes that run off ONE gate drop. For example in our first moto on Sunday, it was a staggered start with the Non-Current A class being the first drop and the 50+ B class being the second drop. That worked out fine of course.

For whatever reason, when we lined up for the second moto (which was running on schedule) someone at the gate told everyone that both classes would be run together on the same gate drop. I didn't think much of it until after I got down to the first corner before the non-current A class guys and then got bumped around pretty good by the much faster guys on bikes 10 years newer than the bikes in the 50+ B EVO class. Combining those two classes into one drop saved what...maybe a minute in the schedule. That kind of combination of classes on one gate drop is not fair to the non-current A riders or the 50+ B EVO riders....dangerous in my opinion.

 

[Dano762]

Yep, that was me on the green '79 KX at Balance. Thanks for the advice. Since I can't get a Kangaroo graft and Ryan Villopoto declined to lend me some of his hamstring, I'll likely push for my hamstring as an option. I keep hearing how essential rehab and will work to be back racing next spring.

Attached is a shot taken mere seconds before the crash that stole my ACL.